Character cylinder for photo-composing machines

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a character drum for a photocomposing machine in which each character image is formed on a separate character carrier which is individually removable from the drum. Each character carrier in addition to the character image has formed thereon machine readable code markings that identify the character and indicate its width. Machine control code markings may also be provided. The character carrier may have more than one character image formed thereon, but if so, it will usually be a related character, e.g. the roman and itallic forms of a single character, that has a common identity but may have a different width.

United States Patent [1 1 Knoll et a1. Y

CHARACTER CYLINDER FOR PHOTO-COMPOSING MACHINES Inventors: Alois Knoll, Buckschlag; Dietrich Mattern, Langen; Hans-Werner Volcker, Frankfurt am Main, all of 2/1970 Levine 95/4.5

[ Get. 23, 1973 2,989,904 6/1961 Braggs et al. 9S/4.5 1,749,961 3/1930 Stock et al..... 95/85 2,846,932 8/1958 Hooven et a1. 95/4.5

Primary Examiner-Robert P. Greiner Attorney-William P. Keegan [57] ABSTRACT The invention relates to a character drum for a photocomposing machine in which each character image is I formed on a separate character carrier which is individually removable from the drum. Each character carrier in addition to the character image has formed thereon machine readable code markings that identify the character and indicate its width. Machine control code markings may also be provided. The character carrier may have more than one character image formed thereon, but if so, it will usually be a related character, e.g. the roman and itallic forms of a single character, that has a common identity but may have a different width.

5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures CHARACTER CYLINDER FOR PHDTO-COMPOSING MACHKNES The invention relates to a rotating character cylinder for photo-composing machines, especially to one in which a plurality of character carriers are insertable on the cylinder and are exchangeable one for another. The characters and the codes required for them are photo graphed on the character carrier.

in the prior art, see for example German patent application P 18 436.4 now German document 1815436, a character cylinder is divided into definite sections provided with groups of openings forming lattices. lnside the cylinder a character carrier can be inserted at each section. The character carrier is essentially a film on which the characters and necessary codes are provided in negative form. At the sides the film is provided with supports of ferromagnetic material. The supports are provided with pins for adjusting the films in respect to the supports and for positioning the supports on the cylinder. The film has openings which receive the pins for film adjustment. In order to ensure that the character carriers are arranged parallel to the cylinder axis, plateshaped magnets are mounted in grooves inside the cylinder, and the supports of the character carriers adhere to these magnets. When a character is to be photographed for text composition, the character on the rotating cylinder is selected and reproduced on a record carrier by a source of light which is flashed to project the character image through the optical system to the sensitized surface. Before the next character on the same line is photographed, the record carrier, or in the case of other photo-composing machines, part of the optical system has to be displaced according to the width of the character photographed. For controlling the displacement the width information for the characters is obtained or retrieved from wired fixed value plugs or a magnetic core memory.

A disadvantage of such prior art photo-composing machine is that only character carriers of definite dimensions can be inserted at precisely given spots on the inner side of the cylinder because the character carrier supports must align with the magnetic plates mounted on the cylinder. The exchange of character carriers is relatively complicated since the character carrier, consisting of a film, is so sensitive that it is fixed on the cylinder with the aid of a separate clamping device. This device comprises magnet plates which are slideably arranged in a frame. The supports of the character carrier adhere to the magnets of the clamping device and the character carrier together with the clamping'device is put against the magnets provided at the inner side of the cylinder. Thus the magnet plates of the clamping device have to be separated from the supports of the character carrier so that the character carrier contacts the magnets of the character cylinder only. The exchange of the character carriers is also complicated by the fact that their type width has to be taken into consideration. If the characters of the new character carrier have a width value different from the characters of the previously inserted character carrier, the wiring has to be changed in the case of wired fixed value plugs, or differently wired plugs have to substituted, or new width values have to be read into the magnetic core memory.

The primary object of the present invention is to design a character cylinder of the kind mentioned above in which, the characters and width values should be very easily exchangeable. in addition, the character carriers should reliably maintain their position as required for precise reproduction of the character on the record carrier at the proper distance from the previously exposed character. Furthermore optimum use of the cylinder surface in regard to character arrangement should be facilitated. Finally the manufacture of the character cylinder and the storage of the width value should be as economical as possible.

In carrying out the invention a rotating character cylinder for photo-composing machines is provided comprising a plurality of individually insertable and exchangeable character carriers. The characters or codes required are photographed on individual character carriers which are insertable at an optional point on the circumference of the character cylinder and each character carrier comprises machine-readable coding for the width value of the characters in addition to a machine-readable coding for identification of the character carrier and the characters marked on the character carrier.

An advantage of the invention is that a character to be composed is selected with the aid of the machinereadable coding provided on the character carrier for its identification regardless of the location of the character carrier relative to the cylinder. In the same way the width value of the character selected is machineread from the same character carrier. Thus it is no longer necessary to read in to a memory the width values separately when characters and their carriers are exchanged. Errors of assignment of the width values to the characters are virtually excluded. The character carriers can be inserted into the cylinder or exchanged veryeasily, and individually since there is no definite assignment of locations on the cylinder for the character carriers.

Another advantage of the invention is that the manufacture of a photo-composing machine with this character cylinder and the pertinent character carriers is relatively economical. It is possible to code the character or to modify its coding on the finished record carrier later; this could be done, for example, by the user.

Still another advantage of the invention is that the character carrier is designed so that separate coding for the width value for each character marked on a character carrier is providing. This arrangement permits related characters, e.g., the roman and italic forms of the same character form, to have different width values when both characters are on a common character carrier.

In accordance with another convenient embodiment of the invention each character carrier is provided with a flash-mark for each character contained on the character carrier. The flash-mark is a machine-readable and is precisely relative to the pertinent character so as to permit exact control over the photographing of that the character carrier is manufactured and, therefore, its position with respect to its associated character cannot be adversely affected when thecharacter carrier is inserted into the character cylinder. Furthermore it is desirable that each character carrier be provided with a machine-readable timing track in a defined position relative to the individual element of its coding. The

functions of the photo-composing machine, in particular reading of the codings, are controlled with the aid of the timing track. To simplify the design of the character carrier, the flash-marks are incorporated into the timing track.

The coded information provided on the character carrier is preferably arranged in several parallel tracks. on an area above or below the associated characters. A photosensitive element and light source has to be provided for each track. The photosensitive elements are arranged in a circuit network for information processing and control of the photo-composing machine functions.

Since any position on the cylinder circumference is sufficient for precise reproduction of. a character selected, the only essential requirements are that the character carrier should be arranged at a definite position in the vertical sense relative to the cylinder axis and that the character carrier should be perpendicular to the optical axis of the machine. For adjustment of the precise position of the characters in the vertical direction, each character carrier is equipped with two first contact surface which are parallel to the plane of rotation of the character cylinder. These contact surfaces are also parallel to the bottom line of the characters contained on the character carrier; this being assured during the manufacture of the character carriers. The contact surfaces of the character carrier may be attached to a definedarea of a first ring provided in the cylinder jacket. The attachment of the character carricarrier have to be exchanged it is not necessary that other characters be exchanged as well in case their exchange is undesirable.

in accordance with a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention at least the first ring of one or each pair of rings can be opened at one or more points of its circumference and lifted from the cylinder jacket together with the character carriers attached to the ring. Consequently no special device for inserting and removing the character carriers is required. Since a whole row of character carriers is connected to a segment of the ring, such row can be exchanged in no time and the sequence of character carriers along the cylinder circumference need notbe changed. On the other hand, each character carrier can be inserted into the cylinder or removed therefrom individually.

According to another design of the character cylinder, the first ring of each pair of rings comprises, in addition to its defined area for receiving the first two contact surfaces of a character carrier, the defined area of a second ring for receiving the third contact surface of a character carrier so that this first ring can be used as a second ring of the pair of rings arranged above or below it. Thus a single ring can be used for holding in place two rows of character carriers. Consequently only three rings are required for holding in place two rows of character carriers on the cylinder. The defined ers to the character cylinder is particularly easy, since each character carrier is pressed against the defined area of the first ring provided in the cylinder by the action of a permanent magnet or by spring means.

Furthermore the character cylinder is preferably designed that each character carrier has a third contact surface which is very precisely positioned relative to the character carrier surface on which the characters are formed. During rotation of the cylinder and due to 'centrifugal force the third contact surface of the character carrier is in intimate contact with a defined area of the first and a second ring provided in the cylinder. Thus the distance between the characters and the optical system is precisely defined, and tilting with respect to the cylinder axis is avoided. The optional position of the character carriers around the circumference of the cylinder is not affected by the fact that'a second ring is provided for supporting the character carriers,

It is desirable to arrange several pairs of such rings above each other in the cylinder so that several sets of character carriers can be carried by the cylinder. Each? area for positioning one row of character carriers each is provided at an inner part of the ring which may consist, for example, of ferromagnetic material and to which the magnets of the character carriers adhere. The'inner part of the ring may be surrounded by an annular stop which supports the third contact surfaces of the character carriers. The stop may also be integral with the inner part of the ring.

In detail, the character carriers of the character cylinder are advantageously so designed that the machinereadable codings and marks are applied to the character carriers as transparent and opaque areas and that each character carrier comprises a transparent area above or below an opaque area near the front edge so sition where the codes thereon are to be read.

The'character carriers preferably consist of thin glass strips or strips of its synthetic substitutes provided with an opaque layer or photosensitive on one of their surfaces. The characters, codings, flash-marks and timing track elements are applied to the opaque layer by photography or mechanical or chemical removal of the opaque material so that they are transparent. The character carrier are sufficiently stable to be handled withinvention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same photo-composing machine;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged front elevational view of a character carrier;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section through the character carrier and part of the character cylinder;

FIG. 5 is a partial general view of the character cylinder; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view of a cylinder detail, the view being taken from inside the cylinder.

The general arrangement of the photo-composing machine with the character cylinder 1 is shown in FIG. 1 and 2. The individual character carriers on the cylinder circumference are marked by numeral 2. Inside the cylinder which rotates in the direction of the arrow (FIG. 2) there are a flash-lamp 3, a condensing lens 4 for the characters, and lamps 5 for the coding and timing tracks of the character carriers arranged one above the other. The character carrier will be described below in more detail. Outside the cylinder an optical system 6 and a carriage 7 carrying a projection lens and a deviating prism are arranged in the optical axis of the condensing lens. Carriage 7 and the optical elements mounted thereon are moved along the optical axis after each character is photographed to place the characters in side by side relationship in a line of composition. A film 8 upon which the photographed characters are imaged, is moved upwardly (FIG. I) by a mechanism which is not shown on the drawing. Photosensitive elements 9, e.g. photodiodes, are provided opposite the lamps 5 for the timing and coding tracks and are connected to a circuit network 10. In addition, the network is connected to flash-lamp 3 and to the mechanism which translates the carriage 7. The network is also connected to a control device 11 of the photocomposing machine.

Control device 11 transmits a signal which corresponds to the character to be composed to network where the signal is stored and compared with the signals transmitted by the photosensitive elements 9 according to the coding through which light passes. If the coding of the character carrier mounted on the cylinder passing the photosensitive elements is in conformity with the character to be composed, the flash-lamp 3 can be triggered; then the character marked on the character carrier is exposed on film 8 via the optical system 6 and the optical elements on carriage 7. The carriage is moved a distance calculated in the network. For this calculation signals corresponding to the width values of the characters to be composed and obtained by reading of corresponding codings on the character carrier, are fed into the network. Depending upon a timing track additional signals are fed into the network for controlling these processes and, in particular, for

triggering the flash-lamp.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a character carrier. The character carrier consists of a thin glass plate (glass strip) 12 and a permenent magnet 13 fastened with adhesive to the glass plate. The photographic layer 12a applied to one side of the glass plate is opaque except each character. Two fields for character widths are provided so that, as between the two characters on the carrier, each character can have its own width completely unrelated to its associated character. Above the two tracks of fields 16, 17, and 18 there is a third track 19 which is the timing track. Marks 20a and 20b of the timing tracks are flash-marks for triggering flash-lamp 3. Finally the character carrier comprises a window 21 for its identification.

The width of permanent magnet 13 corresponds to the width of glass plate 12. At the top of the permanent magnet, material has been removed so that two surfaces 22 and 23 are obtained. These surfaces are the points of contact between the character carrier and the ferromagnetic ring 24 provided on the cylinder 1.

The only distances which have to be accurately defined on the character carrier are those between flashmarks 20a, 20b and characters 14 and 15 as well as the distance between reference line 25 and the first contact surfaces 22, 23.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the character carrier mounted on cylinder 1. Furthermore, FIG. 4 shows that a ring 24 is attached to a section 25 of the cylinder. The ring 24 is surrounded by an annular stop 26 which is wider than the ring itself and protrudes beyond the top and the bottom of the ring. The stop forms a unit with the ring 24. At a distance which is slightly larger than the height of a character carrier another ring 27 with its stop 28 is provided on the character cylinder. The inner side of stop 28, as the inner side of stop 26, is another defined contact surface for the character carriers.

FIG. 5 shows a character cylinder 1 partly provided with character carriers 2. The character cylinder comprises a plurality of circular rims 25 which are held together merely by thin webs 29. The gap between two adjacent rims 25 is, except for the thin webs, suitable for receiving the character carriers at an optional point on the cylinder circumference. The character carriers 2 are held at the proper level and without tilting by the rings, e.g. 24 and 27 and their stops 26 and 28, respectively, shown in detail in FIG. 4. Thus four rings can be used for receiving four rows of character carriers, the third contact surfaces of the character carriers in the bottom row being held in position merely by a stop mounted on a fifth rim which is not otherwise provided with an associated ring. The body of character cylinder .1, or more specifically the rims 25, is provided with grooves 30 which receive the rings 24, etc. As noted above the bottom rim does not have a ring and hence no groove. However, this rim is of greater radius than the others so that the stop provided on it is at the same radial distance from the axis of the cylinder as the stops mounted on the rings provided on the other rims 25.

The rings with their stops are screwed to the rims 25 of the cylinder. The circular rims are split at the joints 31 so that the segments with the character carriers adhering to them can be lifted after the screws have been unscrewed.

FIG. 6 shows the rear of a ring section with its stop. Two character carriers 2 are illustrated adhering to the ring 24 and are separated by a distance which can be selected in an arbitrary manner. In accordance with another embodiment of the invention the ring and the pertinent stop may be made of one piece; furthermore the ring and the stop may be split in the axial direction.

While the invention has been disclosed in preferred form, it is to be understood that many different embodiments which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. Therefore the discription and drawing are to be interpreted in an illustrative rather than a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

l. A rotatable character drum for photocomposing machineshaving mounted thereon a plurality of individually removable and replaceable character elements, each character element having a character image photographed thereon, characterized in that each character element includes means for aligning said element on the character drum, said aligning means comprising two contact surfaces formed in a predetermined location relative to the character image on said element, a ring member provided on the character drum against which said contact surfaces bear, and permanent magnet means for pressing said contact surfaces of said element against said ring member.

2. A rotatable character drum according to claim 1 including a second ring member provided on the character drum, and characterized in that each character element comprises a third contact surface provided in a predetermined position relative to the surface on which the character images are formed which makes contact with a defined surface of said second ring member provided on the character drum when centrifugal force is generated by drum rotation.

3. A rotatable character drum according to claim 2, characterized in that several pairs of ring members are arranged above each other on the character drum.

4. A rotatable character drum according to claim 2 characterized in that at least the first member of each pair of ring members can be opened at one or several points of its circumference and be lifted from the character drum together with the character elements adhering to such ring.

5. A rotatable character drum according to claim 3, characterized in that the first ring member'of each pair of ring members, in addition to its defined surface for receiving the two contact surfaces of a character element includes the defined surface of a second ring member for receiving the third contact surface of a character element so-that said first ring member can be used also as the second ring member for a ring member thereabove. 

1. A rotatable character drum for photocomposing machines having mounted thereon a plurality of individually removable and replaceable character elements, each character element having a character image photographed thereon, characterized in that each character element includes means for aligning said element on the character drum, said aligning means comprising two contact surfaces formed in a predetermined location relative to the character image on said element, a ring member provided on the character drum against which said contact surfaces bear, and permanent magnet means for pressing said contact surfaces of said element against said ring member.
 2. A rotatable character drum according to claim 1 including a second ring member provided on the character drum, and characterized in that each character element comprises a third contact surface provided in a predetermined position relative to the surface on which the character images are formed which makes contact with a defined surface of said second ring member provided on the character drum when centrifugal force is generated by drum rotation.
 3. A rotatable character drum according to claim 2, characterized in that several pairs of ring members are arranged above each other on the character drum.
 4. A rotatable character drum according to claim 2 characterized in that at least the first member of each pair of ring members can be opened at one or several points of its circumference and be lifted from the character drum together with the character elements adhering to such ring.
 5. A rotatable character drum according to claim 3, characterized in that the first ring member of each pair of ring members, in addition to its defined surface for receiving the two contact surfaces of a character element includes the defined surface of a second ring member for receiving the third contact surface of a character element so that said first ring member can be used also as the second ring member for a ring member thereabove. 